


The Emergence of Bucky Barnes

by bmw4fh1017



Series: After the Winter Soldier [1]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Established Relationship, M/M, Peter Parker is Tony Stark's Biological Child, Post Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-27
Updated: 2019-07-27
Packaged: 2020-07-20 14:51:20
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,273
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19994023
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bmw4fh1017/pseuds/bmw4fh1017
Summary: "I'm with you 'til the end of the line" jogged something in the Winter Soldier's mind. Once he saved his best guy from the river, he couldn't just walk away, right?Here is the story and life after Captain America: the Winter Soldier





	1. Not Just an Asset

**Author's Note:**

> My first fic in recreating the MCU post Captain America: the Winter Soldier.  
> I wrote this months ago and have finally recovered enough from Endgame to post it.  
> More chapters and more stories in the series to come. Enjoy :D
> 
> Peter Parker is Tony Stark's biological son; for no other reason than I feel like it makes Tony more likable as a person. And I really like Peter Parker and wanted to add him in ASAP.

Sam isn’t sure what he expected. He was crossing his fingers he didn’t find Captain America dead somewhere. No one had heard anything from the captain in over an hour. Not since he had ordered Commander Hill to fire at the helicarrier before he was off of it. Sam had guessed the Winter Soldier had met up with Steve on the carrier. He hoped Cap had been strong enough to fight him off. He meant what he said before: saving the Winter Soldier might not be an option.

He couldn’t imagine having to fight Riley. It was one thing having your best friend ripped away from you, but it’s another if you’re the one tearing them apart. Steve hadn’t been able to function at all the when they came face to face with the Soldier earlier. Though if Sam had any chance of finding Steve, he also may have the misfortune of finding the Winter Soldier— dead or alive. He knew both men could survive falls from outrageous heights. If they couldn’t none of them would be in this mess. Either way he made his way around the river bank, hoping for any sign of his friend.

It was the Winter Soldier he spotted first. He sat at the edge of the river, wet hair dripping onto the sand. Had he fallen in the river? Had Steve? Sam approached the soldier slowly, not wanting to bring on the wrath of Hydra’s asset.

The soldier looked up quickly to the sound of Sam stepping on a stick. He didn’t react after that though. He stayed seated and looked at Sam. There was no anger in his eyes— no fear. Not much emotion at all to be honest. The man soon turned his attention away from Sam. It wasn’t until Sam got closer that he noticed what the Winter Soldier looking at.

Captain America lay unconscious in his old friend’s lap, his head slightly propped up in the crook of the metal elbow.

“He’s alive,” the Winter Soldier spoke softly, still looking at the man he held before turning his attention to Sam, “Got the water out of his lungs, stopped the bleeding as much as possible.”

Sam stopped walking. He wasn’t afraid of the man in front of him. Just confused. Nothing had prepared him for this. He took a breath before speaking. “So I assume you’re Bucky.”

The Winter Soldier thought for a second before answering, “Yes,” with a nod.

“How did you know to do all this?” Sam asked.

“I don’t know,” Bucky replied, “I just knew what had to be done. Went through the motions.”

“Muscle memory,” Sam added.

“Yeah,” Bucky agreed, “Some things don’t change.”

“So how much do you actually remember?”

“Don’t know,” Bucky shook his head, “I remember him though.”

“So what snapped you out of it?” Sam asked, “Why aren’t you going all Winter Soldier on my ass?”

“Winter Soldier. Is that what they called me?” Bucky asked. Sam replied with a nod.

“I was only ‘the asset’ to Hydra. But he snapped me out of it, brought me back to reality,” Bucky leaned down and pressed his cheek tenderly against Cap’s forehead.

“And you did this before you remembered him?” Sam asked, motioning to the bloody and bruised mess on the right side of Steve’s face.

“Yeah,” Bucky agreed, “Punched him with my left hand. Surprised he didn’t suffer any facial fractures. It wouldn’t have been the first time. But probably not the last— knowing him. I also shot him a few times. I got most of the bleeding to stop but the bullets are still in him.”

This time Bucky pressed his lips to the Captain’s forehead, such a loving and gentle gesture Sam wondered if this really was the trained assassin Nat had told them about.

Bucky’s gaze traveled back to Sam, “Are you gonna take him away from me?”

“No,” Sam stated. And he meant it. He didn’t say it because he was afraid of angering this dangerous super soldier, but because he was afraid of breaking his heart; the hearts of both the men in front of him.

“Good,” Bucky nodded, breathing out a small sigh. He looked back to Steve, touching his cheek with his thumb and gently smiling.

“We are gonna have to take him to the hospital, though,” Sam declared, “Don’t worry, we won’t separate you two.”

“We?” Bucky asked nervously, hugging Steve close to him.

“There are others,” Sam explained, “Natasha’s here. So are Hill and Fury. I expect others to come soon. His friends, the Avengers, are probably being called in order to deal with the collapse of SHIELD anyway. They won’t bother you though; as long as you stay Bucky and the Winter Soldier doesn’t appear.”

“Just me,” Bucky agreed.

“Then let’s go,” Sam invited, “they’re probably waiting for us. For him.”

Bucky struggled to get up while still holding Steve. Sam held out his arms to catch Cap just in case, but Bucky had it all handled. Though Sam didn’t miss Bucky wince a little as he swung Steve’s legs up into his right arm.

“Are you okay?” Sam asked. He wasn’t asking for the sake of the soldier, he justified, if Bucky wasn’t okay he could drop Steve.

“I think he broke my arm,” Bucky admitted.

“We should probably get you checked out at the hospital too,” Sam said.

“No!” Bucky blurted out. Sam prepared to attack the Winter Soldier if necessary.

Bucky took a deep breath and confessed quietly, “I don’t like people touching me. Especially my arm.”

“It’s fine,” Sam comforted, “Let’s just focus on Steve now.”

Bucky nodded, and he started to follow Sam away from the river.

“One more thing. Steve dropped his shield. When he was fighting me. It fell into the water. Can you get someone to look for it?” Bucky asked hopefully.

“Sure,” he replied. He started smiling a second later, “He dropped it?”

“Yeah,” Bucky nodded with a small grin of his own, “The punk dropped it."


	2. Uncle Bucky

The kid poked his head through the door. Bucky chose to ignore it. He had seen the kid bounce around like a fucking pinball when with the rest of the team; he didn’t need that kind of energy around him. He just wanted to focus on Steve. 

Steve. He was the only certainty in his life right now; the only thing keeping him grounded. If it wasn’t for Steve, Bucky probably would’ve run off a long time ago. Or he’d still be captured by Hydra— he’d still be the asset. The Winter Soldier: that’s the name Sam and Natasha had used. 

He shook his head gently and returned his attention on Steve and the whirring machines around them. He couldn’t think about Hydra. He wouldn’t. Just focus on Steve. Only on Steve.

“Hey Mr. Barnes,” the kid called out from the door. Bucky furrowed his brows together in frustration. He didn’t like being called Mr. Barnes. It wasn’t him.  
Bucky probably would have growled his dislike of the name if it hadn’t come from the kid. He sounded young. What he was doing with this rag-tag team of superheroes, Bucky would never understand. Bucky couldn’t be the only one who was uneasy about him.

“Uh oh,” Sam had groaned the first time the kid’s voice was heard in the ICU. The Falcon had been in Steve’s room with Bucky at the time; explaining to him that the Avengers would be arriving to check up on Steve. No one was going to separate the two super soldiers. Steve just had a lot of people in this century who cared about him. 

Through the crack in the door, Bucky had seen the avengers arriving in the waiting room. They all seemed to be pretty normal for a bunch of superheroes. 

“What uh oh?” Bucky had asked Sam, nervously shifting in his chair. 

“It’s nothing,” Sam had gently placed a hand on Bucky’s shoulder, “It’s just the little guy. He’s harmless. He can’t hurt you or anything— not strong enough. Though  
he can get on your nerves very easily.”

“Yeah,” Bucky had grinned, looking over at his once-little guy, “They’re usually like that.” 

“Uncle James?” the small voice from the door came again. This time a little louder. He pulled the door open a little more but looked like he had no plans to enter the room.

He had never fully come into the room. He looked small, though. Like a stiff breeze could knock him over. Just like his Stevie. Tony had tried to get him to come in when they first arrived. 

Tony had walked into the room, holding the door open the door asking, “You coming?”

Bucky saw the kid’s eyes widen as his gaze moved from Steve, to the machines, to Bucky. He quickly shook his head and ducked out of view. Bucky couldn’t decide what scared the kid more. Each was enough to terrify someone his age.

“Suit yourself,” Tony shrugged. He walked farther into the room and towards Bucky. Tony didn’t seem afraid of anything in the room. His eyes stayed on Bucky though, sort of sizing him up. 

“That was Peter,” Tony finally said to Bucky, pointing back to the now closed door behind him, “He’ll come in when he’s ready.” 

Bucky was about to ask whether the kid stayed behind because of him or Steve but decided against it.

“I’m Tony Stark, by the way,” Tony held out his hand to the assassin, “And I’ll assume you’re Bucky.”

Bucky shook Tony’s hand, but his mind was elsewhere. “Stark…” he muttered to himself. He was on the verge of a breakthrough—he could feel it. Another memory. Another person left behind in the past.

“Stark… Howard?” Bucky asked, confusion in his eyes as he finally looked up to study Tony’s face. This Stark definitely resembled the young inventor from the 40s. The Stark Bucky remembered had been much younger than Tony, but not without similarities which messed with Bucky’s fractured memories.

“My father,” Tony acknowledged Bucky’s confusion, though he didn’t sound thrilled. That would have been enough for Bucky if there hadn’t been something else nagging at him. Another memory. But not his. No, certainly not his. 

Though he clearly heard the oddly familiar voice of an old man. “Sergeant Barnes.” 

Bucky’s eyes widened with fear as he connected the voice of the young Stark with one much older.

“You alright?” Tony asked, confused at Bucky’s sudden change of demeanor.

“16 декабря 1991,” Bucky quietly muttered in Russian, looking at his Hydra-issued metal hand.

“What?” Tony asked.

“December 16, 1991,” Bucky said in English this time. He was shaking slightly as he looked up to meet Tony’s terrified eyes.

Tony opened his mouth only to have, “how…?” come out in a barely audible squeak.

Bucky quickly sat on his metal hand. Knowing fully well that he had used that hand to punch the father of the man in front of him, his old friend, to death. Bucky felt tears well up in his eyes. Whether from guilt or fear or sadness—he had no clue. He went to wipe them away with his flesh hand when he remembered choking the second occupant of Stark’s car, a woman, with that hand. Quickly sitting on that hand too, Bucky finally looked at Tony once more, trying to figure out his reaction.

Tony had one hand covering his eyes. He reached out slowly toward Bucky with his other. The assassin flinched, expecting a punch. But he looked at the hand uncertainly as it rested on his metal shoulder. 

“You know,” Tony finally said weakly, “I never got to say goodbye.”

“Me neither,” Bucky whispered, another memory surfacing. “He was gonna show me,” he cleared his throat, “how that flying car of his worked. You know. After the…um… train.”

"He talked a lot about you. And the Capsicle, of course,” Tony motioned to the still unconscious Steve Rogers.

“He was always so focused on his work during the war,” Bucky reminisced, “Surprised he settled down and started a family.”

“He settled down enough to start a family. Not Keep it,” Tony sighed.

Bucky thought about his mission which ended Howard’s life. 1991 was a long time to wait before going after someone who had been a threat to Hydra since the 40s.  
Bucky was certain the Winter Soldier had been sent out that night for another reason. 

“Tony,” Bucky said, choosing his words carefully, “That night in your dad’s car—”

“You know, oddly enough, I don’t feel like talking about this,” Tony interrupted.

“No, this is important,” Bucky insisted, “In your dad’s car was the serum. Like the kind Steve has. I don’t know what Howard was going to do with it, but I know what Hydra did. Tony, there are more.”

“More what?” Tony asked.

“More assets. More Winter Soldiers,” Bucky explained.

“Like you?”

“Worse,” Bucky stated, “They can speak 30 languages. Hide in plain sight. Infiltrate, assassinate, destabilize. They can take down a whole country in one night; you never see them coming. Steve may have destroyed SHIELD, but he didn’t destroy Hydra— not entirely. I don’t know what Hydra is doing next, but something has to be done before their next move.” 

Tony nodded, understanding what Bucky had requested. He spoke into an earpiece as he walked towards the door, “Rhodey, I’m gonna need backup.” He turned back to Bucky as he reached the doorknob, “Tell the Capsicle I say hi.” Bucky smiled weakly as he was left alone with Steve once more.

“Uncle James, can I come in?” the kid asked, more sure of himself this time.

Bucky sighed. The kid was never gonna let this go, was he?

“You don’t have to ask permission,” Bucky told the kid.

Peter squeezed himself through the barely open door. “Hi,” he said softly, “Auntie Nat just said I shouldn’t bother you two.”

“Nat was correct,” Bucky agreed.

“Oh, I’m sorry Uncle James,” Peter stammered.

“Bucky. You can call me Bucky.”

“You got it, Uncle Bucky,” the kid beamed. 

“None of this Uncle crap. Just Bucky.”

“Oh, but um…” Peter looked around nervously, “but dad said,” he turned to face the door, “and Uncle Steve…” he looked over at the bed where Captain America still lay unconscious, “You and Uncle Steve are… you know… together, aren’t you?”

“We were, back in the day,” Bucky nodded, “Not that we’ve had the chance to discuss what we are now.”

“So shouldn’t that make you my uncle, too?” Peter tried his hardest to understand.

Bucky changed the topic, “So are you one of them? An Avenger?”

“Oh no!” Peter shook his head, “I mean, I want to be. I want to be a superhero, but my dad would never let me.”

“Aren’t most superheroes anonymous? Your dad doesn’t necessarily have to know,” Bucky suggested.

“Wouldn’t work. My dad knows everything. He’s a genius,” Peter said proudly.

“Well being a superhero isn’t all it’s cracked up to be,” Bucky chuckled, “It takes a lot of training. You should’ve seen Steve with his shield when he first got it.”

“It bounced off a wall and almost hit him in the head,” Peter chimed in.

“Did Steve already tell you this story?” Bucky asked.

“No, my dad did,” Peter said, “Grandpa Howard had tons of stories about you two. I mean, not that I ever got the chance to meet him, but dad told me…”

“Grandpa who?” Bucky asked, hoping he had misheard.

“Grandpa Howard.” Peter looked at Bucky confused, “I thought dad said you knew Grandpa Howard.”

“Are you Tony’s kid?” Bucky asked.

“Yeah,” Peter nodded.

“No wonder you can’t be an Avenger without your dad knowing,” Bucky thought out loud.

“Dad thinks it would be too dangerous. But Uncle Steve tells me not to listen to people getting in my way of doing what’s right. Even if those people just want to keep me safe,” said Peter.

“Well it’s good to know that seventy years later Steve still isn’t listening to me,” Bucky rolled his eyes, “I guess if he did listen to me, I would still be under Hydra’s control right now.”

Peter smiled, “Uncle Steve may not be a genius, but he always knows how fix any problem.”

“So why did you want to come in here, kid?” Bucky asked.

“When do you think Uncle Steve is going to wake up?” Peter asked softly.

“I don’t know,” Bucky shrugged, “Soon, I hope.”

“He is going to wake up, right?” Peter asked nervously. 

“Yes,” Bucky nodded, “He has to.”


	3. Not Your Bucky

Steve opened his eyes. He felt groggy, like he had slept for a year— or seventy. He didn’t bother trying to get up. His body didn’t feel ready. But why? What had happened?

There was definitely something covering most of his body up to his torso. He glanced down. A blanket. Okay, he thought, I’m in a bed of some sort. He was slightly propped up, almost in a sitting position. A hospital bed, he guessed. Now what was he doing in a hospital?

He closed his eyes for a few seconds trying to remember everything that had happened. He remembered the helicarrier. Fighting. Dropping his shield. Then the ground beneath him disappearing. He remembered falling and hitting water. He remembered that one last glimpse of his savior. A metal arm.

Bucky! Steve remembered, his eyes snapping open again. Bucky had saved him. He remembered the terrified look on the Winter Soldier’s face as he muttered, “’cause I’m with you till the end of the line.” Had Bucky remembered him? He had to know.

He had to get up now. Had to find Sam, Nat, anyone who could tell him what had happened to Bucky. He started to move his arms to prop himself up more, but he felt a weight holding down his right hand. He looked over to see a gloved hand covering his own.

He guessed it belonged to a man since it seemed to be the same size as his. Steve looked at the man’s wrist. He saw the glint of metal between the end of the sleeve and the glove. His eyes gazed up the man’s arm to his shoulder. Dark brown, almost shoulder length hair framed the man’s strong jaw. A small, tentative smile was displayed on his pink lips. And it wasn’t until Steve’s sea-blue eyes met with steel-blue ones that he let himself believe this man was really, truly sitting next to him.

Steve’s mouth opened in shock, but before he could say anything the man spoke, “Sometimes I think you like getting punched.” The gloved hand moved from Steve’s and gently touched under his right eye.

“I had him on the ropes,” Steve responded without really thinking about what he was saying.

“I know you did,” the man replied.

“Bucky,” Steve finally smiled, “I thought you left me.”

“C’mon, Punk,” Bucky returned the smile, “I thought you were smarter than that. You know I would never leave you.”

“You left for the war without me. You fell off the train without me…” Steve trailed off.

“No. Those times don’t count,” Bucky stated, “I didn’t have a choice. I didn’t leave you, I was taken from you. And I’m not going to let that happen again.”

“So,” Steve said slowly, “you remember me now?”

“Yeah,” Bucky nodded, “Mostly you. Some other things too.”

“All from the ‘40s or…”

“No,” Bucky sighed, “I remember everything I’ve done since then. Haven’t been able to sleep since I remembered you. Not that I’ve tried that hard. Had to stay here in case you woke up.”

“How long have I been out?” Steve asked.

“About four days,” Bucky estimated. Steve’s eyes opened wide in reaction. Bucky chuckled, “I really did a number on you, didn’t I?”

“You never did go easy on me, Buck,” Steve reminded him.

“Like you’d ever let me,” Bucky huffed, “You know, after seventy years, I’d have thought that suit of yours would be bullet proof.”

“It usually is,” Steve admitted, “Had to get my old one. Thought you’d be more likely to recognize me if I wore it.”

“Dammit, Punk!” Bucky chuckled, “When I asked if you were gonna keep the outfit, this isn’t what I meant!”

“Should’ve told me that before I stole it from the museum.”

“Museum? What was it doing in a museum?”

“They have a whole walk-through Captain America exhibit here in DC,” Steve gushed.

Bucky thought of a question. He quickly asked it before he regretted it, “Am I… am I in the exhibit?”

“Of course. They have a huge display complete with a few pictures and clips from the war. You were the only Howling Commando to die during the war,” tears welled up in Steve’s eyes, which Bucky promptly wiped away with his thumb.

Steve had spent plenty of lonely days in the Bucky section of the Captain America exhibit: watching the clips on repeat, reading and rereading words which he had memorized on his first visit. He had longed to have Bucky by his side since the day he woke up in the 21st century. Hell— since the second Bucky fell off the train! When he first uncovered the Winter Soldier’s identity, is when he realized what could have been. And now, with the true Bucky Barnes™ next to him, his dream could finally become a reality.

“S’pose they’ll have to change it now,” Steve sniffed.

“How come?” Bucky asked.

“Because underneath a description of your life they have 1917-1944,” The numbers represented the 27 short years which broke Steve’s heart and filled him with guilt every time he thought about it.

Silence fell between the two men. Each time Bucky went to say something he realized it wouldn’t be helpful.

“I should have caught you,” Steve finally broke the silence.

“What?”

“I should have caught you, Steve repeated, “I should have fallen off with you. If you survived I sure as hell would have. They looked for you, you know. I made them. Maybe if I had fallen too they would have looked harder. I regret not being able to save you. Even to this day.”

“No Steve,” Bucky said softly, “The only reason they didn’t find me was because Hydra found me first. And if you had been with me,”

“We would have been together,” Steve interrupted.

“No, we wouldn’t have. They would have killed you Stevie, right in front of me. I know pain, trust me. But nothing would have been as painful as watching you get killed. And even if they didn’t kill you, we wouldn’t have remembered each other. They would have brainwashed you and Hydra would’ve had two weapons to do their dirty work for them. We may have been together, but it wouldn’t have meant anything.

“No, Punk. You were right where you were supposed to be. You were there to meet me on the other side. If it wasn’t for you, I’d still have no idea who I am. You saved me Steve, just not the way you expected.”

Bucky moved over to sit on the edge of Steve’s bed. He pressed a kiss to Steve’s lips before resting their foreheads together. Steve let out a small whimper. As much as he hated to admit it, Bucky was right. This was exactly where they were supposed to be. Fate may have separated them, but it had brought them back together at just the right time.

“So. This museum, they don’t have any childhood pictures of us, right? None of your old sketches?” Bucky tried to lighten the mood.

“Like I’d ever let anyone look at those,” Steve smiled.

“Do you still have your old notebooks?” Bucky asked.

“I had left them back at base camp before I got frozen for 70 years. When I woke up, they were promptly returned to me. Peggy kept them safe all this time.”

“I wonder if she looked in them,” Bucky suggested.

“She’s too polite to have done that,” Steve paused before adding, “Besides, she already knew about us. So it wouldn’t have been too much of a shock.”

“Imagine if anyone else had looked in those notebooks,” Bucky laughed, “Who would have guessed Captain America would have had a notebook in the first place, then to open it up and see it filled with sketches of his old pal from home.”

“You’ve always been more than a pal to me, Buck,” Steve pointed out.

“Don’t worry, Punk,” Bucky nodded, “I know.”

Silence fell upon the two men again. This time it was more peaceful, and no one was in a great rush to break it.

Though it was Steve who finally spoke, “I know this probably goes without saying, but thank you for pulling me out of the river.”

“Don’t worry about it, saving you is my job,” Bucky shrugged, “Maybe when you get a new suit, it should come with a parachute attached. Nat said this wasn’t the first time you fell into water from a great height without a parachute. You’re lucky I was here to save you when something went wrong. Maybe I won’t be next time.”

“So… you met Nat?” Steve asked worriedly.

“Yeah,” Bucky nodded, “I’ve heard some very interesting stories from her. You may be 95 years old, Punk but you still seem to be getting yourself into trouble.”

“Who else have you met?” Steve tried to get the topic off of Nat and her stories.

“Sam,” said Bucky, “He said that you two go jogging together in the morning.”

“Something like that,” Steve agreed.

“I’ve met Dr. Banner. I haven’t met his green friend yet, but I want to.”

“No you don’t,” Steve assured, “Trust me.”

“I’ve met Clint. Hey, what’s with your friends and birds? Y'know Hawkeye and Falcon?” Bucky asked.

“Good question,” Steve smiled.

“Thor was here a few days ago. He didn’t stay long, though. He seemed upset. Said his brother Loki had died.”

“Oh,” said Steve. He knew Thor had cared about his brother, but he couldn’t forget his own encounter with the god of mischief in New York, “Did Thor tell you where he was from?”

“Yeah,” Bucky nodded, “Asgard. He’s a real-life Alien. How neat is that, Stevie?”

“Pretty cool,” Steve agreed, “Do you know what else is from space?” He bit his tongue, realizing talking about this with Bucky may not be the best idea.

“What?” Bucky looked too excited for Steve to not answer.

“The tesseract,” Steve said softly, trying to judge Bucky’s reaction as he spoke, “You know, that glowing blue cube where our serum came from? It belongs on Asgard, Thor took it with him when it showed up in New York a few years ago.” Steve studied Bucky’s face to see if he should have kept his mouth shut. Thankfully Bucky smiled widely, and his eyes sparkled with excitement.

“Does that mean we have something from outer space in our cells? That’s amazing.”

“So who else have you met?” Steve wanted to continue this conversation.

“I met Commander Hill and Director Fury. I had to apologize a little, but they were pretty forgiving, considering... I also met Sharon. I made sure to thank her for looking out for you while I was gone. She also seemed to know about us. You know… what we used to be to each other. She was the only one who wasn’t surprised when she found out. Did you tell her?”

“Nope,” Steve confessed, “Nat even tried to set me up with her. And that’s why I jumped out of the plane without a parachute by the way.”

“Good reason,” Bucky nodded understandingly.

“Anyone else show up?” Steve asked.

“Yeah. Tony showed up with Peter but had to leave on a mission after the first day. Peter is still hanging around here, though,” Bucky conveniently left out the part that he had been the one to send Tony out on said mission. He wanted Steve to rest a few more days without worry.

“Did Tony tell you who his dad is?”

“Yeah, Howard Stark,” Bucky nodded, realizing it was a good a time as ever to confess something, “I killed him, Steve. Howard Stark. The Winter Soldier killed him. But even though I wasn’t in control, it was still me. He recognized me. It had been almost 50 years after he thought I had died, and he still recognized me. And I remember it Stevie. I killed him in 1991 and I remember killing him so clearly.”

Steve sat there silently until Bucky quieted down, wiping his nose on the back of his glove-clad hand.

“It’s okay, Bucky,” Steve finally said softly, “I know what happened.”

“You do?” Bucky whispered.

“Yeah, I talked to Zola…” Steve knew he had misspoken as soon as he mentioned Zola. Bucky’s body tensed up.  
Steve cursed under his breath for not thinking. Of course Bucky wasn’t going to react well to the mention of Zola. Not only was he the one to inject Bucky with the serum but he was the first to torture him. And who was in charge of Hydra after the disappearance of the Red Skull? Zola. Bucky had probably seen plenty of that awful man after he fell. These nightmares were not just the Winter Soldier’s they were all Bucky’s.

Bucky sat perfectly still, looking just over Steve’s shoulder. Steve reached out to rest his hand on Bucky’s cheek. He flinched at the contact even though the two men had been touching since before Steve woke up.

“Are you okay, Bucky?” Steve asked gently.

Bucky shook his head.

“May I ask why?” Steve had to get some sort of answer out of Bucky, no matter how long it took.

“Zola,” Bucky eventually whispered, “If he’s still out there, then I can become the Winter Soldier again. And if that happens...” Bucky swallows a lump in his throat before looking Steve directly in the eye, “I will finish my mission.”

“But here’s the thing, Bucky,” Steve said softly, cupping Bucky’s face, “He’s not out there anymore. He’s gone.”

“Gone?” Bucky repeated.

“Yeah,” Steve nodded, “He exploded.”

“Did you…?” Bucky started to ask.

“Hydra did it,” Steve corrected, “Trying to get me and Nat but only resulted in destroying Zola.”

“I wish I could have seen it,” Bucky was starting to smile again.

“Oh, it was beautiful, Buck,” Steve smiled widely, “Brighter than fireworks on the Fourth of July.”

“I’m safe now. I just gotta remember that,” Bucky said mostly to himself. He returned to the chair at Steve’s side.

“Well, as safe as you can be when you’re an Avenger,” Steve pointed out.

“Well I’m not gonna be an Avenger,” Bucky confessed.

“How come?” Steve looked genuinely hurt.

“I’m done fighting, Stevie,” Bucky said with a tired smile, “I’m done. I didn’t want to fight then, don’t want to fight now.”

“…says the former three-time welterweight champion,” Steve cut in, “C’mon, this isn’t the Bucky I know.”

“You’re right, it isn’t,” Bucky nodded, “The Bucky you knew was young and brave and stupid. He was whole. I’m broken now, Stevie. They broke me. The war, Hydra. They made me into something I wasn’t.

“I only used to fight for you. Kicked bullies’ butts in the alleys before they could kick yours. I fought in the war so I could return to you faster. Then Hydra made me fight for them. I wish I could undo every death I’ve caused, but I can’t. My last fight, my last mission; it wasn’t you. No, it was the Hydra conditioning. I fought through the haze to return to you. And that’s all I’ve ever wanted.”

“And what about me?” Steve asked.

“What about you?” Bucky threw back at him, “You don’t need me. You’re Captain America. You don’t need my help anymore. You never needed my help. You can kick all the butts you want without breaking a sweat. You just lacked the physical strength back in Brooklyn.”

“Captain America may not need you, but Steve Rogers does,” Steve said confidently.

“And Bucky Barnes needs you. I always have,” Bucky added, reaching out to take Steve’s hand in his gloved one once more.

“So where did you get the glove?” Steve asked, looking down at their interlaced fingers.

“Sam,” Bucky replied, “The only time I left you. I went to his place for about an hour in order to clean up. I asked to borrow the glove, so I could hold your hand comfortably.”

“Ah,” Steve nodded, “And I see you’re wearing my clothes.” He motioned to the blue sweatpants and grey under armor shirt slightly covered by a navy-blue jacket. The outfit was a little large on Bucky. Captain America had always been slightly bigger than the Winter Soldier

“Well I wasn’t going to go shopping by myself. Wearing Sam’s clothes were out of the question. I don’t trust him to go shopping for me. And besides, I think I look very nice in these,” Bucky beamed.

“As much as I love seeing you in my clothes, we can go buy you some of your own when I get out of here. When will that be, by the way?” Steve asked, shifting in the bed a little.

“Stevie, you just woke up!” Bucky laughed, “I’m the only one who knows you’re awake! Unless you want a rush of friends, doctors, nurses and security in here, you’re gonna have to wait.”

“I can do that, as long as that means I get to spend more time with you,” Steve settled down.  
Bucky was about to return the sentiment when the door to Steve’s room opened. The two super soldiers looked at each other. They knew exactly who it was.

The twelve-year-old’s head popped into view. “Uncle Steve!” he exclaimed, noticing Steve was fully conscious.

Bucky and Steve were quick to shush him as he rushed over to the bedside.

Peter wrapped his arms around Steve’s neck. He let go, smiling widely, “I knew you’d wake up, Uncle Steve!”

“Was there any doubt I wouldn’t?” Steve asked, curiously looking at both Peter and Bucky.

“Well, not really. Dad mentioned something on the phone to Uncle Rhodey. Not like I believed it or anything. I was just worried,” Peter admitted.

“You don’t always have to listen to everything he says,” Steve reminded Peter, “Your dad tends to bring up unnecessary drama.”

“I know,” Peter shrugged, “I still worried.”

“Thanks for caring so much, Petey,” Steve said warmly.

“Do you want me to get everyone else?” Peter started to head back towards the door.

“Not quite yet,” Bucky said quickly, motioning for Peter to stay.

“So how’s your arm feeling, Uncle Bucky?” Peter asked, addressing the other super soldier in the room.

“Your arm?” Steve asked. Just realizing Bucky had been using mostly his left arm since he had woken up.

“Yeah,” Bucky shrugged, “You kind of broke it, remember?”

“I do,” said Steve, “Is it still broken?”

“I don’t know,” Bucky confessed, “Didn’t help that I had to carry a 240lb super soldier to the hospital. It doesn’t really hurt anymore, but it doesn’t feel normal yet either.”

“You’ve spent the last four days in a hospital, Buck. Didn’t you get anyone to look at it?” Steve asked, slightly worried.

“Yeah, right,” Bucky scoffed, “the last time doctors touched my arm when it was injured I ended up with this,” He pulled up his left sleeve to show off his metal arm,

“At least my right arm will heal. If I damage my left arm I have no one to fix it now that I have escaped Hydra.”

“Well my dad could probably fix it,” Peter shrugged.

Bucky raised his eyebrows at Peter.

“No, really,” the boy insisted, “He built his first iron man suit while trapped in Afghanistan by terrorists.”

“Wow,” Bucky was impressed, “Last time I was in the Middle East, the most productive thing I did was shoot Nat.”

Peter’s eyes grew wide, but Steve shook his head lightly, so the kid dropped it.

“Tony is really good with this tech stuff, trust me,” Steve said.

“Well I don’t want my arm to end up like Howard’s flying car, so I’ll say no,” Bucky answered.

“Just think about it,” Steve suggested, “If anything happens to that arm, you may not care who looks at it. Tony could probably make you a new one that’s even better than what Hydra gave you in the 40s.”

Peter was about to speak but was immediately distracted by a noise his phone made.

Steve rolled his eyes, familiar with the kid’s generation and their cell phones, “Everything okay?” he asked.

“Yeah,” Peter smiled, looking up, “Dad just came back from the mission. He says he would like to speak to you, Uncle Bucky.”

“Alright, kid. You go out to see your dad, I’ll be right behind you,” Bucky smiled, patting Peter’s shoulder.

Peter left the room, but not without sending one last smile his Uncle Steve’s way.

Bucky got up and sat on the edge of Steve’s bed one last time, “Will you be okay without me for a few minutes?”

“I’ve been without you for seventy years, I think I can manage,” Steve said.

“Okay, punk. I’ll be back soon,” Bucky wrapped Steve in both his flesh and metal arms to hold him close.

“I missed hugging you,” Steve whispered softly.

“This feels exactly like it did when we were kids in Brooklyn,” Bucky spoke into Steve’s shoulder.

“I was a lot smaller then,” Steve chuckled.

“That’s not what I meant.”

“Then what does it feel like, Buck?”

“It feels like home.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys enjoyed it.
> 
> It's a little sappy/romantic but I feel like it's the reunion our two super soldiers deserve.
> 
> I also hope that you noticed I got that whole Bucky killing Howard thing over with and in situation where all characters are thinking rationally. And Tony isn't scarred with having to watch his parents get murdered. Also stopped everyone from heading to Siberia. Trying to stop Civil War ahead of time-- at least partly.


End file.
